I Want Him Dead
by BADxLUCK
Summary: The war the wizarding world thought was over continues as strange deaths begin to occur. During the fight, Harry helps Draco with a secret that has scarred his life forever... Post Hogwarts. Slash. Rated for language, rape, violence, and sexual scenes.
1. The Murder and the Mark

**Title:** I Want Him Dead

**Author:** BADxLUCK

**Pairings:** HP/DM, RW/HG

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. The mighty, all- powerful and all knowing JK Rowling does. She is the brains behind the Harry Potter operation.

**Warnings:** This story contains slash. This means (for all those haters that don't know and/or don't like) that it contains male/male pairings. If you don't like, click the "back" button on the top of your screen and head somewhere else. If not, you have been warned.

**Summary:** News has spread throught the wizarding world about strange occurances that has left witches and wizards in a state of panic, confusion and wonder. Harry and Draco who have graduated Hogwarts have become first-class aurors. It is their job to find out what has been happening... though... Draco is hiding a terrible secret that he doesn't want to reveal to anyone... until it gets worse...

**Author's Notes:** I am so happy to finally be starting something new! I have been so busy with work and stuff and it began to piss me off that I couldn't do anything, so here I am putting aside some time to do what I love. I hope youenjoy reading itas much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please review! Cookies to all who do!

**The Murder and the Mark**

_He caused me pain and I want to see him suffer. I want nothing for him, but to feel the amount of pain that he caused me. I want him to experience what it feels like to be subdued to such torture and such agony. I want to watch him bleed the way he watched me bleed. I hate him! I want to see him dead!_

Harry strode toward his office with the _Daily Prophet_ folded and tucked under his arm, while his hands were occupied by holding two steaming cups of coffee, and smiling every so often as someone he knew walked by. He pressed his back into the mahogany door and pushed it open and stepped into the private office he shared with his partner. All over the room were cut out articles from the Daily Prophet and several moving pictures pinned to the walls and some strewn all over the floor and on the desks. The articles dated back to as long as two years ago and they brought back memories whenever someone looked at them. He set down one cup of coffee on his desk and threw down the paper beside it, with a fresh frown planted on his features.

"What's with the serious look, Potter?" Draco asked from the desk beside him and Harry turned and looked at his partner. "Don't tell me there's something new?" Draco asked and Harry placed the other cup of coffee in front of Draco and then handed the Daily Prophet to the blonde man in front of him.

"Read this." Harry said simply and he sat in his chair and let the coffee warm his insides and stared at Draco who unfolded the newspaper and stared at the front page.

**Panic Strikes After Occurrence of Mysterious Killing Last night**

_At exactly 8:42 pm on the streets of muggle London, Jack Gainsborough was found dead in the middle of the street surrounded by several muggles. A woman who was walking by at the time of his death stated what she saw. _

_"I was just walking back home from doing a little shopping when I saw a huge flash of green light and the next time I looked, there was a man dead in the street. Then I heard people begin to scream and panic and several people began calling the police." She said._

_A report done by the police (muggle aurors) confirmed that the victim did not have any bruises, incisions, or wounds of any kind showing that the wizard in question was, indeed, murdered with the Killing Curse. What reason someone had for killing Gainsborough remains unknown and the murderer is still at large, so we warn all witches and wizards to remain cautious. An auror was sent to the scene to retrieve Jack's body as well as to erase the memories of all the people who witnessed the murder. For now, aurors will be working to find the murderer and send him to Azkaban._

_"There was no evidence of any kind on who the murderer is, but we are doing all we can to find him." Stated an auror who was on the scene. "Jack was a great friend of mine and worked in the Ministry and I can think of no possible explanation on why someone would want to murder him. He had a beautiful family and it was truly unfortunate that it had to be him."_

Draco paused and skimmed down the rest of the article where there was a brief biography on Jack and an interview with his wife and two sons. The blonde man lifted up the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip and Harry noticed the frown forming onto his features.

"So, what do you think?" Harry asked tentatively and Draco shrugged and looked over at his raven- haired partner. "You remember Jack, don't you? We saw him a few times and he works on the floor above us in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes." Harry continued and Draco nodded.

"Yeah, I remember him, but I think it's rather bizarre." He said and lifted the steaming cup into his hands again where he took another sip and watched Harry over the brim of his cup when he sighed and stood up

"Come on, we have a meeting with the boss and Blaise." Harry said and Draco nodded and stood up and followed the other out of their office.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was in a bustle as people spoke to one another and others jostled around looking for paper work and others leaving the floor by use of the lifts. This floor looked like this almost every day for the four years that Harry and Draco were aurors since they graduated Hogwarts. Truthfully Harry wasn't expecting to see Draco become an auror, but I guess everyone has a chance to change especially after the argument Draco and his father had in their seventh year. The two ex- Hogwarts students weren't exactly friends, but they formed a truce that would last and put aside their differences completely. They became partners after both of them hit first- class and became the best aurors the Ministry has ever seen.

Draco and Harry stepped through a pair of double doors and entered a large conference room where Blaise Zabini, Draco's best friend, and Remus Lupin, their boss, were waiting.

"Ah. Good to see you both." Lupin said once Harry closed the door tightly behind him, and Draco nodded his head at the comment and Harry grinned.

"Good to see you too." Harry replied and Draco slipped in the chair next to Blaise and Harry took a seat next to Lupin, leaning against the polished wooden table casually.

"Well, I'm guessing the three of you have seen today's Daily Prophet? That's the task that I want to assign the three of you. It may not seem as anything too big right now, but whoever the murderer is could become a threat in the future and that's what I want to prevent right now." Lupin said seriously and he stood up and retrieved the Daily Prophet that was lying at the end of the long table.

"Does the victim have any past records that might cause someone to make him their target?" Harry asked and Lupin shook his head sadly and sighed, sitting back in his chair.

"No, and that's the thing that raises the most questions. What was the reason for killing Jack? What did the killer get out of it?" Lupin said and a silence fell over the room, where all of them were contemplating those questions.

"Looks like we're dealing with a real bastard." Blaise said tapping his pen on the table and then leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling. "Did any of the muggles that were there during the time of the murder have anything worth hearing?" Blaise asked and Lupin pulled a piece of parchment toward him.

"Nothing that could help solve the murder. All the muggles said that they saw a flash of green light and then Jack Gainsborough was dead. We can't ask any of the muggles further questions because their memories have already been modified." Lupin sighed again and took a sip of his coffee that was sitting on the table. "Even though Voldemort may be gone, some of his Death Eaters may still be lurking about." Lupin said and Harry shook his head.

"Voldemort isn't dead… I can feel it." Harry said and he could also feel Lupin staring at him worriedly.

"Harry, you still don't believe that, do you? You have just been fighting him for so many years that it seems hard to believe. He is dead." Lupin said and Harry said nothing else on the matter, but frowned and gazed at the table, his green eyes trying to burn a whole in the table.

"So, where should we start?" Draco finally broke the silence, noticing the troubled look on the Harry's face, so he decided to move the conversation away from the subject.

"Ah, yes. Harry, Draco, you two should go to the scene of the crime first and maybe it would be a good idea to check out his house and visit his family. Blaise, I want you to go find any confidential records on Jack and any other documents on still living Death Eaters. Also, ask any other person in the Ministry if they know anything about Jack that might upset someone in particular. We'll have another meeting if we find any new news." Lupin said and everyone stood up and nodded. "You're dismissed." The three of them left the room and went back to Harry and Draco's private office to discuss the matters.

"Personally, I find it very odd. There hasn't been anything like this for a while and then suddenly there's a murder." Blaise said sitting in a spare chair and eyeing the two in front of him.

"You're right, but right now, we have nothing that could lead us to the killer." Harry said and he looked over at the wall at a picture of his godfather smiling back at him, an article on his official release pinned under it. "Any Death Eaters we know that are still alive?" Harry asked and Blaise and Draco thought about it for a minute.

"Well, let's see… Dolohov is dead. So is Rodolphus…." Blaise said.

"And Rookwood died too." Draco added.

"Yeah, I heard he was killed by Voldemort. Anyway, um… let's see… Crabbe, Goyle and Mulciber are all dead." Blaise continued counting them off on his fingers and Harry sighed and ran a weary hand through his hair.

"Are there any that are still alive? They seem to have all dead and gone to hell." Harry said and Blaise racked his brain, trying to think as hard as possible.

"Well… Avery is still alive. So, is Bellatrix Lestrange." He said and Harry thought about the names. Bellatrix was in Azkaban as far as they all knew and Avery has been missing for many months now. If it was either of them, what had caused the sudden action?

"I think Macnair is still alive as well. Though I haven't heard anything about him for about a month or two." Draco added and he leaned back in his chair and stared at the white ceiling.

"There's also your father." Blaise suddenly added and Draco sat forward and glared at Blaise from the comment.

"That bastard is NOT my father. It would have been better if he was dead." Draco said suddenly angered and he stood up and grabbed his coat and left the room, leaving two pairs of eyes staring after him confusedly.

"What the hell was that about?" Blaise asked and Harry stood up, staring oddly at the door that Draco had just left wandered out.

"Don't know, but we should get to work. We'll meet back here, whenever we get a chance." Harry said and Blaise stood up and nodded. "I'll find Malfoy." Harry said and he let out a long sigh and Blaise followed the raven- haired boy out of the office, chuckling softly to himself.

Blaise went his separate way on the opposite end of the floor and Harry spotted Draco waiting by the lift, with a pissed off look on his face. Harry walked up to stand by his partner and waited patiently for the lift, while an awkward silence hung over them.

When the gates opened and they entered the empty lift alone, Harry turned to Draco and leaned against the side of the lift.

"Hey, you okay?" Harry asked.

"Leave me alone, Potter. I don't want to talk about it. " Draco said sadly at Harry who rose an eyebrow at Draco and then frowned when he noticed the saddened expression on his features.

"I'm sorry if I upset you in any way. I just wanted to know if I could help." Harry apologized, but Draco shook his head and felt the lift jolt to a stop at the top floor. Draco walked out the lift quickly and Harry followed him feeling very confused and helpless, still thinking. _I wonder what's wrong with him_…

When the two men stepped out into the middle of the muggle street, Harry pulled out a slip of parchment from his pocket and looked at the address that Lupin had previously given him. He thought for a moment and looked down the streets, noticing Draco fixing his black coat over his dark blue dress shirt.

"Come on, I think it's this way." Harry said pointing down the street toward where several flashing cars and several muggles were gathered. They began walking, blending in with the other muggles on the sidewalk where some were talking about the murder that had occurred yesterday.

"Yeah, it's really unfortunate."

"I hope the police catch the murderer soon. I don't feel too safe with a killer on the loose."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Harry continued forward, with Draco walking silently beside him, until they approached a police officer who was blocking off the area where the murder happened.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you pass here." The policeman said and Harry straightened up and looked the man straight in the eye, looking as confident and important as possible.

"I'm sorry officer… but we're from the… crime… the Crime Investigational Unit. Very top secret." Harry said, whispering the last part in the officer's ear. Draco rose an eyebrow at what Harry was saying and seemed so surprised that Harry had come up with that lie so easily, but he was even more surprised when the policeman let them through.

"Are muggles normally that stupid?" Draco asked once they were walking away from the police officer toward the center of the roped off area.

"Yes. Nothing like what happens in our world happens here." Harry said and he rolled up the sleeves of his green dress shirt to his elbows.

"Anyone could tell you were lying." Draco said and he folded his arms over his chest walking next to Harry.

"Hey, I didn't see you trying to come up with anything, Malfoy. Besides we got in, right? So that's what matters." Harry said optimistically and Draco just chuckled and shook his head.

The two men approached the center of the area and there they saw people examining the ground for any traces of blood and other people checking the surrounding perimeters for any other types of evidence.

A woman in a uniform walked by and Harry stopped her, with Draco still looking at the area around him.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me anything significant about what happened?" Harry asked and she sighed and crossed her arms.

"No, at least nothing that we've found out. The victim just died. There were no wounds, poison or any previous sickness. There is nothing here at all that might lead to how he died or who killed him," She said waving a hand to the people who were looking around for any clues. "Right now it seems like a mystery that is impossible to figure out." She said and Harry thought over what she said and Harry turned around expecting to see Draco behind him, but noticed that the blonde man had wandered away, beyond the boundaries of the roped off area.

Harry was confused for a second, but noticed the way Draco was looking for something. He hurried over to the silver-eyed boy and skidded to a halt.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?" Harry asked when he was standing next to Draco and the blonde shrugged and peered into a tree near a small-forested area with a few trees on the side of the street.

"Hey, can you help me up? I think I see something." Draco said, pointing at the top of a really large tree. Harry nodded and cupped his hands together and Draco placed one of his feet in his hands. Holding onto Harry's shoulder, he pushed himself up and grabbed at something that was stuck in the top branches of the tree.

"What is it?" Harry asked once he let Draco down.

"A piece of parchment." Draco said and he looked at the paper and then flipped it over to see faded words scribbled out on it:

_Death shall be brought, and life shall be revealed at 21 12 12._

Draco looked up from the parchment and looked at the expression on Harry's face.

"What do you think it means?" Draco asked and Harry shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't know. What could the numbers mean?" Harry said to himself and Draco thought about it too and shrugged. "Okay, we should go visit Jack's house." Harry said finally and Draco rolled his eyes.

"Do we have to? Can't we just go back to the Ministry?" Draco asked, pouting and bouncing on his heels a bit.

"No. Let's just get this over with. Maybe we'll find worth the time." Harry said and the blonde rolled his eyes.

"I doubt that."

A few minutes later, the two found themselves on Jack Gainsborough's doorstep, surrounded by his nicely cut grass. The raven- haired boy knocked gently on the door and the wife opened it slowly and came into view. Her dark brown hair was askew and there were tear tracks trailing from her hazel eyes.

"Um… Mrs. Gainsborough, is this a bad time? I'm sorry for interrupting anything." Harry said and she shook with a silent sob and then shook her head. "We're aurors from the Ministry and we wanted to see if you and your children were safe and wondered if we can do a quick search of the house." Harry said and she took a tissue from her pocket and began to dab at her eyes.

"Oh. Please, come in." She said and Harry and Draco stepped into the warmly decorated living room. Harry and Draco looked around the house when she disappeared from view upstairs and returned with two boys traveling behind her, a nine-year-old son and a five-year-old son. Harry frowned sadly at the thought that the children weren't able to spend more than ten years of their lives with their father.

"Kids, these gentlemen are from the Ministry… they are here to help solve the magical mystery." She said lovingly and the youngest son hurried over to Draco and took his hand looking up at him with big eyes.

"Mommy, can I help?" He asked and she nodded and smiled.

"Sure, honey." The two kids went running up the stairs yelling with excitement.

Mrs. Gansborough led them into the kitchen and she sighed heavily, suddenly looking older.

"I didn't have the heart to tell them." She said referring to the children and Harry and Draco stood by the counter as she prepared some tea. "It's probably for the best." She said and Harry smiled sadly at her.

"I think we should put up a few barriers around your house to protect you incase anything happens." Harry said and she nodded and they walked into the living room and the two of them began muttering spells and charms, filling the house with a magical aura.

When they were finished the two boys came running down the stairs, both wearing capes tied around their necks.

"We're ready to help, sir." The oldest said and the other brother nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and we know lots about magic!" The other said and Harry bent down in front of them and smiled.

"And what are your names?" He asked and the nine-year-old smiled, taking a hold of his brother's hand.

"I'm Vincent and this is my brother, Edward." The oldest said and Harry smiled at them.

"I'm Harry and this is Draco." Harry said to the children, straightening up and holding out a hand to indicate his partner.

"Wow, are you brothers, too?" Edward asked and Harry smiled and shook his head.

"No. We're just friends." Harry said and he turned to the mother who was coming out with two steaming cups of tea.

"Can we look around the house a bit?" Harry said and she nodded and they took the tea and went up the stairs and began looking for anything that might explain the murder or the numbers on the parchment. Edward clutched at Draco's hand all the way up stairs and they began searching the rooms for anything they could find.

"Can you do magic? Mommy won't let us get a wand yet. She says we're still too young." Edward said sadly and Draco bent down beside him, patting his head gently.

"One day you'll get your own wand and you can go to school to learn how to do real magic." Draco said and the boy's eyes lit up.

"Really? Will you show us some magic?" Edward said excitedly and Vincent soon joined them.

"Okay, but only a little bit." Draco said and he stood up and turned to Harry with a questioning look on his face on what spell to do. Then Draco took out his wand and pointed it directly at toy that was lying on the floor. "Wingardium Leviosa." Draco muttered and the toy lifted up from the ground and hovered in the air for a while and the two boys clapped in amazement.

"One more!" They both yelled in unison and Draco sighed.

"Okay, one more."

-

The rest of the day went uneventful and the pair went back to the Ministry and worked until night fell and people began to depart to go to their homes and several other aurors came to work the night hours. Harry, Draco, and Blaise stayed and continued working as being the highest aurors and tried to figure out a solution to their current mission.

Draco leaned back in his chair and sighed dramatically before yawning hugely.

"Feeling tired? Why don't you go home?" Harry said concernedly, looking up from his desk to gaze at Draco.

"No, I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm not heartless, you know. Unlike a certain piece of shit known as my father." Draco said and he closed his eyes for a minute, enjoying the time of rest. Harry frowned and leaned back completely, turning all the way around towards Draco's direction.

"Malfoy, if you don't mind, can I ask why you hate your father so much?" Harry asked and Draco opened his mouth to respond, but at that exact moment, Blaise came bursting through the door, breathing heavily, bending over and trying to catch his breath.

"Harry, Draco, you have to come see this." Blaise said and they ran down to the lift and went up to the top floor. They ran through several doors until they were outside and Blaise pointed up into the sky.

Clearly visible in the dark skywas the Dark Mark.

* * *

Please review! Tell me if you like it or not. If you do, then the story must go on! 


	2. The Argument and the Blood

**Author's Notes:** I updated. A miracle has befallen upon everyone. Don't ask what took me so long because I've been really busy working and stuff and I HAVE to set aside time to write this story. BUT! it is up to my fanfiction buddies that I love so much to help me keep going, so I ask that you review and tell me what you think. Thanks so much!

**The Argument and the Blood**

"No, Voldemort is supposed to be dead!" Draco cried, his eyes fixed at the bright spectacle above him. "Potter, you killed him, didn't you?" Draco said frantically, grabbing onto Harry's shoulders and shaking him so hard that his glasses slipped down his nose.

"I thought I did. It wasn't until after the war ended that I started to get a feeling that he was still alive." Harry said, pushing his glasses back up and biting his lip in thought. Draco let go of him and turned around and stared back at the Dark Mark with a scowl on his features. _If Voldemort is back, that means my father is going to want me to become a Death Eater. _Draco thought miserably and Harry stared at him concernedly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I understand where you are going with the situation about Voldemort being alive, but I will kill him… or at least I'll try my hardest to. That's the only way I will be able to fulfill the prophecy." Harry said and Draco blinked out of his daze and stared at Harry in confusion.

"Prophecy?"

"In my sixth year, a prophecy was made about Voldemort and myself. It said, 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_…'_ So basically, I was destined to fight Voldemort." Harry said and Draco's mind swarmed with the interesting, yet terrifying new information.

The silver- eyed man turned away from the piercing emerald and gaze and looked at the Dark Mark that glowed eerily in the sky, then without warning headed back into the Ministry of Magic with Blaise and Harry staring after him wonderingly.

"I don't understand what's wrong with him. Blaise, do you know why he hates his father so much?" Harry asked turning to the man beside him who crossed his arms over his chest and then shrugged.

"Not a damn clue. That's one secret he's not willing to tell. Then again, Lucius Malfoy isn't exactly the kind offather someone would have, so I don't blame him." Blaise replied and Harry stared in the direction that Draco had just walked in and couldn't help but speculate on the subject. _Why won't he tell someone? Why doesn't he want anyone to help him? _Harry thought and Blaise nudged him and the raven- haired boy jerked back to reality.

"Thought I'd lost you there." Blaise and at that moment the Dark Mark disappeared from the sky.

"Sorry." Harry replied and he went up after Draco, hurrying to ask the man some questions before his mood became worse.

Harry approached the office and walked to the door and crackedit open only to see Draco standing by the enchanted window, looking out at the starry sky. A sad looked edged up on the pale face and Harry couldn't help but feel slightly helpful and sympathetic. Whatever was going on the blonde head in front of him must've been pretty bad to turn him like this.

Harry finally took that moment and pushed the door fully open.

"Draco…" Harry whispered and the blonde turned around slowly and smiled as Harry shut the door and approached him.

"What's wrong, Potter? You called me by my first name." Draco said and Harry shook his head and tried to hide the worried look on his face, but Draco wasn't fooled and could see right through his mask. "Don't try to hide it. I know you well enough to know that something is on your mind." Draco said and he leaned his shoulder against the charmed window, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Well, I… I'm not entirely sure what's on my mind, considering I don't entirely know the situation." Harry said and Draco had a feeling in his body that he knew where Harry was going.

"If you are talking about my father and myself there's nothing to talk about. There are certain things he did that you or anybody else wouldn't understand." Draco said looking out at the fake sky and sighing heavily. The blonde pushed off the window and walked away from Harry, though those green eyes were still on him.

"Malfoy, why won't you tell anyone? Why won't you tell me?" Harry said desperately for the sake of both him and Draco. "Damn it, why won't you let anyone help you?" Harry suddenly yelled after him and Draco turned around angrily, stepping on papers that were on the floor.

"And what do you thing you'll do, Potter? Do you actually think you can help me? You don't understand what the hell you are talking about! You have no idea what I've been through! Just because you're the bloody hero doesn't mean that you can fucking help me!" Draco shouted then he grabbed his bag and turned around and stalked out of the room furiously leaving Harry staring astonishingly at the closing door.

This was the first time they had fought in years and to tell the truth it was kind of surprising and unexpected. Harry slid down the wall and fell to the ground staring at the door that Draco just left with a frown firmly in place. _There is something wrong. Something happened between him and his father that he doesn't want to talk about, but what?_ Harry thought miserably and then the door opened and Blaise slid in looking concerned for the ex- Gryffindor man.

"Harry, what happened? Draco just stormed out looking pretty pissed. Did something happen between you two?" Blaise asked and he walked over and stood next to Harry's unmoving body.

"Yeah, we fought. Usually, I'd just push away the fight like nothing ever happened, but it's been so long that I kind of wasn't expecting it, but I guess in a way I deserved it." Harry said and he stood up and turned to face Blaise. "I'm going home." He said sadly, not entirely surewhy this one argument was affecting him so badly.

"Alright. You'll be okay, though?" Blaise asked putting a hand on the raven- haired man's shoulder comfortingly and Harry nodded and grabbed his coat and his bag and left the room.

Harry fumbled with the keys to his flat and when he got the door open and swung it open he heaved a dramatic sigh and stepped forward, shutting the door behind him. Throwing his bag in a nearby corner, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled butterbeer from the refrigerator and walked to the sofa, falling down on its soft, scarlet cushions. He placed his right arm over his eyes and thought for a while staring at the blackness that was his eyelids. _What am I going to do? I don't want Malfoy to be mad at me and I know he's going to hold this against me. I feel like we're going back to our childhood. _Harry thought and he laughed softly and took a sip of his butterbeer when the telephone in the kitchen rang. Who would call him? He was required to have a phone in his flat, but he hardly ever used it.

Harry walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cordless phone off the receiver and pressed a button before putting it to his ear.

"Hello?" Harry asked and then he waited for a voice to answer.

"Hello? Harry? It's me, Ron." Ron said on the other end and Harry grinned in surprise.

"Ron? Why are you using a muggle phone?" Harry asked.

"Herm insisted. She thinks I should get in touch with my muggle side. Whatever the hell that means. She says that if we are going to be married for long, I have to know what kind of life she lives." Ron said and Harry leaned against the counter.

"It may be a new experience for you." Harry said and Ron laughed.

"Like I need any more of those. Anyway, Herm's getting out a great dessert and we wanted to know if you'd come over and have some. We haven't really seen each other in a long time." Ron said and the sound of a little girl's laughter was heard on the phoneand then Ron shushing her softly.

"Sure. I'll be over in a minute." Harry said and he hung up and set the butterbeer on the counter and apparated out and appeared a second later at the doorstep of Ron and Hermione Weasley's home.

Harry knocked lightly and the door opened slowly and revealed a five- year- old girl staring up at Harry with large brown eyes.

"Uncle Harry!" She squealed in delight and she ran over and hugged Harry's legs, the raven- haired man bent down and hugged her.

"Hello, Emma. How are you?" Harry said happily and she grinned and took his hand and led him inside.

"I'm fine. Idrew a picture! Wanna see?" She giggled when Harry nodded and she ran off to get it from her room upstairs.

Hermione emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands in an apron she was wearing and her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Sweetie, who was it?" She asked, aloud.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Harry standing in her living room in his work clothes.

"Harry, it's so great to see you. It's been a couple months since we last saw each other." Hermione said and she walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, it's been a long time, Hermione. It has just been so busy at the Ministry." Harry said casually and she grew serious for a second, a frown forming on her delicate features.

"Yeah, a lot of little things have been happening. I understand you are busy." Hermione said and she took off the white apron and hung it on a hook in the kitchen and smoothed out her blouse.

"And it's about to get worse since the murder and the unexpected appearance of the Dark Mark." Harry said and she walked over to the stove to boil some water for tea.

"Yeah, I heard about that. It's so horrible." She said turning the stove on and placing the kettle over the heat.

Just then, Harry heard Emma squeal again followed by footsteps coming down the stairs and Ron came into view with his daughter in his arms, both of them grinning.

"Hey, mate, it's about time we actually saw each other in person. I was getting sick of this writing to each other thing." Ron said setting down his brown- haired daughter gently and she handed a piece of parchment to Harry who looked at the scribbled drawing of a sky and some flowers and what was supposed to be her and her parents holding hands.

"It's great, Emma. You really have some talent." Harry said and handed the picture back to her and she grinned up at him.

"Then I'm going to draw one for you." She said and she left the kitchen leaving the ex- trio to talk with one another. There was an odd silence in the kitchen, except for the sound of boiling water until Harry broke the silence.

"So, Ron, how's quidditch?" Harry asked and Ron grinned again and grabbed a picture that was hanging on the wall just outside the kitchen.

"Pretty good. Our team has a game against Ireland soon. I can already hear Ludo Bagman yelling 'And the Chudley Cannons win!'" Ron said dramatically adopting the voice of what was supposed to be Ludo Bagman. "And then the crowd goes wild, demanding that they get the autograph of the greatest keeper the world has ever seen." Ron said holding up his chin proudly and holding the moving photo of the Chudley Cannons quidditch team.

"Alright, Ron. You don't want Harry to leave, do you?" She asked and they all laughed feeling just like the old days when they used to sit around the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"But you'll come, won't you?" Ron said turning back to Harry and Harry nodded.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it." Harry said and Ron beamed hugely.

Ron led Harry out into the living room and the two settled on the sofa, Emma sprawled out on the floor with papers and crayons scattered all around her. Hermione came in a few seconds later carrying three cups of tea and headed back into the kitchen for three slices of cake. She settled in the loveseat by herself and held the cup of tea in her hands.

"What about you, Hermione? How's your research going?" Harry asked, trying to get his mind off thinking about Draco angry with him and she smiled.

"It's going very well, actually. I have almost discovered a new potion that could help out the wizarding world." Hermione said affectionately, obviously showing signs that she liked her work.

"Plus, she wants to find a new way to integrate muggle life into the wizarding world. I keep telling her that she's crazy, but you know how once she starts something, she'll have to finish it." Ron was saying and he and Harry laughed under their breath. "Kind of like that spew thing you started." Ron said and she suddenly looked defensive.

"It's not _spew_, Ronald. It's S.P.E.W. and I would've finished it if I had only started it earlier, but we graduated before I could finish it." Hermione said and Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at each other, each of them taking a bite of the cake and sipping at their tea.

"It's kind of weird." Hermione suddenly said, gazing deeply into her tea. Harry and Ron both looked up at each other and then turned to Hermione who was silent for a second. "Here we are sitting together just like what we used to do when we were at Hogwarts. Even though it has been four years since we graduated, it feels like nothing has changed, but everything _has _changed." Hermione said seriously and they all looked at each other.

"Well, that's good, isn't it? We don't want anything to change between us." Harry said and Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, it's just that we have all grown up and gotten jobs and yet we are still our childhood selves." Hermione said and they all were silent until Ron started laughing under his breath and then they all broke out into a heart- warming laughter over nothing.

"So, Harry," Hermione began, wiping tears from her eyes. "How's work at the Ministry?"

"Busy. Everyone depends on Malfoy, Blaise and myself to do most of the hard work because we are the only first class aurors." Harry said, running a hand through his hair and sighing. "We have hardly found anything about the murder last night." Harry said feeling frustrated and Ron looked sympathetic.

"It's alright, mate, you'll find something eventually." Ron said and Harry nodded.

"I hope so."

-

An hour or so later, Harry found himself back in his flat feeling even more guilty about his fight with Draco. He thought that going over to see Ron and Hermione would help, but he felt worse than before having been thinking about it the whole time he was there. He paced for a moment and stopped then walked to the phone and dialed the number to Draco's phone, hoping that he would answer.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then, Harry sighed and hung up heading into his room and falling into the bed. He was laying in the dark before he fell into a deep sleep.

-

The next morning, Harry woke up and ran a hand through his hair, making it look worse than it did when he first woke up. He got up, showered, and changed his clothes to a scarlet dress shirt and a pair of black pants. While he was tucking in his shirt and grabbing his coat, he checked his watch and saw that he was already late, so he decided to skip breakfast and apparated to the ministry.

He arrived at the top floor and took his time, slowly taking the lift to his department. Frankly, he wasn't ready to face Draco yet and knowing the blonde, he probably was still upset. Harry arrived all too quickly at their department and walked up to his office and stopped in front of the door, taking several deep breaths.

Blaise walked by with a stack of papers in his arms and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Harry standing at his door with a determined look on his face as he stared at the door handle.

"Harry, are you okay? You've been standing at your door for a couple minutes now. You look pretty lost." Blaise said after a minute of staring at Harry strangely. Harry turned around and leaned against the wall beside the door.

"Hey, did you see Malfoy today?" Harry asked and Blaise nodded slowly, suddenly understanding.

"Oh, I get it now. Yeah, I saw him. He's in your office." Blaise said, jerking his head in the direction of the closed door.

"Did he still look angry to you?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Nah, just go talk to him. He won't hold a little fight against you. Draco has changed a lot since school. He's not the same little, obnoxious kid that used to fight with everyone." Blaise said and he smiled at the thought. "Just go talk to him." Blaise said finally and he walked off and left Harry to take a deep, steadying breath and then opening the door slowly.

Harry peered inside and saw Draco glance up from the papers on his desk fora second to see who entered the room and then looked back down at the work he was doing.

"Draco…?" Harry said slowly and Draco sighed and stood up, handing Harry a cup of coffee and then returning back to his desk. Harry smiled at the coffee for a moment and then opened his mouth to say something when the blonde man at the desk cut him off.

"Don't apologize, Potter," he said, chuckling slightly and Harry closed his mouth and stared at the milk brown liquid in his cup. "I know you, Potter. I've known you for eleven years. You are way to innocent for your own good." Draco said and Harry smiled and looked up, heading over to his chair.

"So, you aren't mad at me anymore?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm not. Truthfully, I should be the one apologizing, since I'm the one who yelled at you. Though, can we just put this behind us and forget that it ever happened?" Draco asked and Harry nodded, wanting to keep on the good side of Draco.

They worked in silence for a few minutes listening to the rustle of papers, the scratching of quills and the occasional sip of coffee, until Harry's stomach rumbled loudly and the raven- haired man blushed brightly. Draco laughed at the embarrassed look on Harry's face and turned around to face him.

"When was the last time you ate, Potter?" Draco said, chuckling at the color of Harry's face.

"Um… I can't remember. Two days ago, I think." Harry said, the color rising in his face when his stomach growled at him.

"Come on, let's get breakfast… my treat?" Draco said, standing up from his chair and standing in front of Harry. Harry opened his mouth to speak again and Draco cut him off. "Don't worry, we'll invite Blaise too." Draco said and Harry smiled.

"Wow… you really do know me." Harry said and they walked out of the room and found Blaise talking to Lupin. They waited until Lupin walked away and then they approached the other man.

"Hey, Blaise, want to get some breakfast with us?" Draco asked and the other nodded his head eagerly.

"Yeah. This hunger has been annoying the shit out of me." Blaise said and they apparated out so Lupin wouldn't catch them leaving their job for a while.

The trio arrived at a small muggle café and they got a table inside by the window and sat down. A few seconds later, a woman bounced over and took their order of breakfast and hurried off.

"Why did I let the two of you talk me into coming to this muggle place? It was supposed to be my treat, as in I pick where we go. We could've gone to your godfather's bookstore/café and had something to eat." Draco whined and Blaise crossed his arms over his chest and leaned the chair back on two legs.

"And ruin the fun? Besides, when you say it's your treat, it only means you are paying for it. It is good courtesy to let your guests pick where to eat." Blaise informed and Harry laughed under his breath and received a glare from the silver- eyed male.

"And whose side are you on?" Draco demanded and Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to side with Blaise on this one… but it's not that bad. Just think of it as a new experience." Harry said and Draco leaned his left shoulder against the window and Harry thought he saw the boy wince, but he dismissed it as part of his imagination.

The woman came back and she placed for plates of eggs, toast and sausages in front of them, along with three cups of orange juice. They ate and spoke about the ministry; until they had all finished and felt very satisfied.

"Come on, we should head back before Lupin finds we're gone and kicks our asses." Harry said and the other two nodded their agreement and stood, Draco paying for the meals.

As they were leaving the table, the ground suddenly shook violently causing people to go into panic and some hiding under the tables. Draco toppled backwards and was caught by Harry who was standing behind him.

"What was that?" Blaise asked, once it came to astop and muggles were beginning to peer over the tops of their tables.

"I'm not sure, but we should—." Harry was cut off when another violent rumble shook the store and they looked out the window to find people running in panic. Harry looked out the window and far in the distance he saw a tiny figure of flapping wings.

"Hey, look into the sky… is that… a dragon?" Harry asked and the other two gasped and stepped forward toward the door to find a place to apparate away from people.

Draco stepped over a toppled table and was heading forward when Harry noticed a small car flying towards the window and he grabbed Draco's upper arm and pulled him against his chest as he leaned against the wall. The car came crashing through the window, sending glass flying in every direction.

Harry looked over to his right and saw Blaise standing a few meters away, panting and his hand gripping his wand in his coat pocket.

There was a flash of green light, that made everyone shield their eyes and Harry stared in horror. _Someone is going to die_. He though helplessly and when the light subsided, Blaise hurried out of the door and out onto the street.

"Come on, that was obviously a wizard. We have to go find out what happened." Draco said and Harry nodded and let go of Draco and was about to follow right after him when he looked at his right palm and stopped, staring at his hand that was covered in blood.

Draco's blood.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Many cookies, cake and ice cream to those who review! 


	3. The Questions and the Symbol

**Author's Note:** It's been sooooo long. I'm so sorry. But I'm back with a new update! yay! BUT if you want updates to keep coming, please review! Reviews make me happy and make me want to write more. REVIEW! Of course, J.K. Rowling is the brains behind everything. She owns it, I don't. I just own this little story I'm writing. Anyway, new chapter is up! Review when you finish reading. ENJOY!

-

Harry stared in shock at his red stained hands and watched the blood trail across his hand and send a small drip to the ground. He felt ill and confused, wondering how this happened to Draco and why the blonde never spoke about it. _What the hell is going on? This must've been recent if he's still bleeding like this._ Thought Harry and he frowned, gazing deeply at his hand, before hiding it behind his back when he noticed Blaise approaching him.

"Harry, what's wrong? You've been standing in a daze for a few minutes. We really need to take a look outside. I'm not exactly sure what happened." Blaise said urgently and Harry considered telling Blaise about the blood—instead he nodded and followed Blaise outside, grabbing a napkin from a wrecked table and running after the other man.

He hung back slightly, wiping his hand on the napkin, but stopped when he looked at where Draco was standing. There was a giant circle about six meters in diameter on the pavement, where everything looked wiped clean and the road was now a gray- white color with patches of red. In the center of the circle stood Draco, examining the area with a frown on his features.

Harry squinted slightly, trying to see if he could see blood on the blonde's arm, but from that distance, he couldn't see anything through the clothing that was covering it. He hurried forward, pocketing the blood stained napkin and stood next to Draco.

"What do you think happened?" Harry said, trying to sound casual, but was actually worried about the other male. He took a quick glance at the other's arm, but quickly looked up when Draco turned towards him.

"I'm not sure. It was obviously something that dealt with magic, but what curse could've caused this?" Draco thought aloud and Harry shrugged.

"It doesn't look like anyone was hurt though." Harry said, looking around at the people were staring and whispering, looking to see if something will happen. Others were walking away and continuing on with their daily lives as if nothing had happened. _Typical muggles. Too busy to notice anything._ Thought Harry with a scoff and he turned to see Blaise approaching them.

"C'mon, we should head back to the ministry." Blaise said and the trio hurried away to find somewhere private where they could apparate. While walking to an alley, something caught Harry's eye and he looked over to see a dark figure retreating in another direction away from the crime scene. Harry changed his path and began running toward the figure, the other two suddenly noticing that he wasn't behind them.

"Harry!" Blaise yelled and Draco set off after the retreating raven- haired man, Blaise directly behind him. The dark figure must've heard Blaise's voice, for he turned around and saw Harry running toward him, then sprinted off down the street.

Harry had continued running, not paying attention to his labored breathing or his legs straining forward. The figure rounded around a curve and Harry was right behind him, slowly closing the distance between their bodies. The dark figured turned into an alley and Harry followed and suddenly he skidded to a halt. He looked around, but the person he was pursuing was nowhere to be found.

Blaise and Draco had finally caught up to find Harry standing in the hallway looking around, confusedly.

"Where'd he go?" Blaise asked and Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. I was right behind him and he suddenly vanished—just disappeared into thin air." Harry said and he banged his fist on the wall beside him. "Damn it! I was so close to catching him. We could've gotten another clue to this whole thing." Harry said, obviously furious with himself.

"It's not going to help to beat yourself up over it. Come on, let's go." Blaise said and the three apparated, Harry still seething.

-

When they arrived, Blaise departed with the excuse that he had something to take care of and Harry and Draco locked themselves in their office and relaxed for a few minutes. Harry stared at the floor in anger with himself, replaying the whole thing over in his mind. He was so close to taking a step forward, but now it felt like they had gone two steps back. What happened to the person? How is it that they vanished so quickly into thin air? The person couldn't have apparated that fast… or, could he?

Harry cleared his thoughts. The world suddenly felt like there was no trust left in it. Everyone changes and no one will know what kind of turn around he or she will make or who they'll betray.

Harry looked up and stared at Draco who was looking at a stack of papers on his desk.

_Except for him. Draco's different. I can trust him more than I can trust most people—and that's funny because we were enemies most of our lives._ Harry thought and he chuckled out loud, grabbing Draco's attention.

"What's so amusing?"

"Nothing. Just thinking…" He replied and he suddenly grew serious as he remembered something. "Draco… just now, during the incident, when we were in the restaurant, I touched your arm and when I looked at my hand, there was blood all over it—it was your blood." Harry said and Draco dropped the parchment that was in his hand and he turned around and shook his head.

"You… I don't know what you're talking about." Draco said, turning away from Harry, causing the other man to become frustrated.

"Oh, I think you do. Draco, you can't hide it from me anymore. I don't want to be left in the dark, if I know you are in pain." Harry said standing up and advancing on Draco who was sitting in his chair.

"I'm not in pain—there is nothing wrong with me." Draco said angrily and Harry got closer that he was standing right over the blonde prince. Harry grabbed onto Draco's arm and held it tightly, while the other struggled to get free, wriggling until he fell out of the chair and onto the ground with Harry on top of him. Harry managed to pull off the sleeve of Draco's coat and clearly visible through his shirt was a bloodstain in the shape of a line gliding across his arm.

"Tell me, Draco, how did you manage to get that? And don't lie to me—I can see it in your eyes, you are in pain, you're just afraid to say anything. Afraid of what might happen or what others may think." Harry said, keeping a good grip around Draco's wrist, who had stopped struggling and was staring into Harry's green eyes.

"I want to tell you… I want you to know about everything, but certain things are holding me back. Trust me—maybe I'll tell you when the time comes, but for now, don't worry about me. I have to handle it on my own… for the safety of both of us." Draco said and Harry bit his lip, thinking it over until Blaise walked in a stopped short when he noticed the two on the ground.

"Am I interrupting something? I guess you two were having fun while I was gone." Blaise smirked and the other two blushed and Harry got off the blonde boy quickly.

"Fuck off, Blaise." Draco muttered and sat back down at his desk.

"Ooh, aren't we in a bit of a feisty mood?" Blaise mocked and he sat at a chair in front of Harry's desk. "So, Harry, did you see anything about the person you were chasing that could give us some kind of lead?" Blaise asked.

Harry rubbed his temple in a smooth circle and then ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, I saw an odd marking on the person's left wrist. I can't really describe what it was of. If I see it, I'll know." Harry said and Blaise banged his hand on the desk in front of him.

"That's good! We can get somewhere with that." Blaise said and he stood up and headed over to the door. "Just leave it to me." He said, rushing out the door, swinging it shut behind him.

As soon as Blaise was gone, Harry turned back to Draco and stared at Draco's distant expression for a few seconds before speaking.

"You know, I worry about you." Harry said and he stared seriously into Draco's eyes, who turned around startled at the sudden speech.

"You do? Why? Don't burden yourself over me." Draco said and Harry rolled his eyes.

"It's my job to burden myself over you. You look worse everyday—I don't mean on the outside, but on the inside, you're having a struggle that I can't understand, even though I want to." Harry said and Draco caught every word and thought about it.

"I don't understand you, Potter. We were once enemies, always at each other's throats and now you are telling me how much you worry about me. You are definitely a strange one, Potter." Draco said chuckling under his breath and Harry frowned and shook his head.

"I've known you for how many years? Besides, I have a good reason to be worried about you." Harry said and he was serious, with no trace of humor at all.

_What would he think if I told him the truth? I'm such an idiot. Hiding it is only hurting both of us, but I know the consequences if I told him, if I told him that…_ Draco thought and he suddenly stood up abruptly.

"I'm going out for a while. Do you mind?" Draco said, casting a side- glance at Harry who shook his head.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked and Draco shrugged.

"Nowhere special."

-

Harry had only been sitting at his desk for a while until he got bored and got up, leaving a quick note on the desk for Blaise if he were to come back. He sighed and looked at the fake window that was showing beautiful scenery of an afternoon sun before heading out the door. _I'm going to find Draco_. He thought and he grabbed his coat and put it on while leaving the ministry.

Harry had no idea where Draco lives; only that it wasn't too far away from his own flat. Deciding to check Draco's house first, he apparated to the street his flat was on and walked from there. _Let's see… I vaguely remember Draco saying that he lived in a flat._ Harry said and he looked around, trying to spot any type of building that Draco might live in.

He walked for a good half hour until he finally spotted a fancy looking building that he had a feeling Draco might live in.

"This is definitely Draco's style." He muttered under his breath when he walked through the front doors and came inside a lobby area with a great chandelier hanging overhead and a desk off to the side with a security guard sitting behind it. The floors were a brilliant gray and black marble, showing Harry's reflection and the entire ceiling was covered with mirrors.

"Sir, can I help you?" Harry nearly jumped as he heard the voice of the guard after standing for a good minute, absorbing his surroundings.

"Um… no, thank you… actually, yes, you can help me," Harry started, striding over to the desk the guard was sitting at. "You see, a good friend of mine lives here and this is actually my first time seeing him in quite a long time. It's sort of a surprise, you know. So, I was wondering if you could give me the number of his room without letting him know I'm here." Harry said, and the guard stared at him for a long moment before looking down at the computer screen in front of him.

"Name?" He asked in a monotone.

"Malfoy. That is, Draco Malfoy." Harry answered, tapping his finger on the counter slightly.

The guard typed on his computer for a few seconds and then stopped, staring at the screen for a moment.

"Mr. Malfoy is in the penthouse suite on the top floor." He said.

"Figures, the bastard…" Harry mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing! Just… talking to myself." Harry said, laughing nervously and turning to walk away with the guard staring at the back of his head. "Arse." Harry muttered under his breath, feeling in a very anxious mood as he tapped the button to call the lift down. When he heard it come rattling down, he stepped inside and pressed the button for floor eight. Leaning against the wall, he sighed to himself, waiting for the lift to reach the top, though it felt like it was moving slower than usual just to mock him.

Upon reaching the top, Harry hurried out of the lift and came face to face with a wall. He raised an eyebrow for a minute and looked to his left where a small hallway led down to another wall. Down to the right was a long corridor and he began hurrying down it, skidding to a halt on the blue carpet when he came face to face with a door that read "Penthouse Suite".

Harry stood still for a moment and raised his fist to knock, but paused when a sound behind the door reached his ears. It was a loud crashing of glass and Harry stared startled for a minute before he began hearing voices muffled by the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door wondering who was inside the room and what the crash was about.

"Draco?" Harry asked loudly and he began knocking again, this time a little harder than before. He heard someone yell from inside and he began banging his fist harder on the door.

"Draco!" He yelled. "Open the door! It's me, Harry!" He yelled and he jiggled the handle of the door before pulling out his wand and performing the unlocking charm. When it didn't work, he cursed under his breath and put away his wand. Apparating inside of Draco's room he hurried forward, looking around frantically.

"Draco? Draco, where are you?" He called over and over.

After searching the room, he sighed and fell on Draco's black leather sofa and presumed the suite to be empty.

"Damn it. Then what was that noise?" He asked himself quietly and he looked around the room, just taking in all the tiny details of Draco's home. It was definitely his style with the furniture consisting of mostly black, white and silver. Even though there was only a bit of color here and there, it was very beautifully decorated and Harry found himself feeling more and more comfortable. He stood up to leave when he noticed a forgotten, moving photograph of Draco, Blaise and himself. Harry picked up the photo, holding it in his hands, a smile forming on his features, and then he frowned and flipped over the picture and noticed a little symbol drawn on the back. He stared at it for a moment, feeling as though he had seen it before, then it clicked and an image of him running flashed through his head. It was the same mark that he had seen on the person's wrist earlier that day.

"What the…?" Harry stared shocked and confused. _This is the same mark. But why does Draco have a drawing of it?_ Harry thought to himself and after shoving the picture in his pocket, he apparated outside of Draco's door and began making his way toward the lift, jabbing the button with his finger until it came up. He hoped that he might see Draco inside the lift, but when it came up empty, he sighed and made his way down towards the lobby. Leaving the lift, he practically ran through the lobby, the guard noticing him and looking at him oddly. Once he was out of the building, he hurried off to an area and apparated back to the Ministry of Magic, stepping forward and nearly runningintoBlaise.

"Harry! Now that you're back, I—."

"Blaise, have you seen Draco?" Harry cut in and Blaise jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"Yeah, he just came back. He's in your office." He said and Harry muttered a quick thanks and hurried off to his office. Running a hand through his hair, he pushed open the door and walked inside seeing Draco reading through a stack of papers.

"Draco, you're back." Harry said, trying to keep himself from bursting out several questions that he wanted answers to you.

"Yeah. Where were you?" Draco asked, not looking up from the papers in his hand.

"I went looking for you. Where were you?" Harry shot back and Draco looked up, frowning slightly.

"Looking for me? I told you I was going out." Draco said, setting down the stack of papers on his desk.

"Where?"

"No where special. It's not important."

"If it was no where special, why won't you tell me?" Harry asked.

"I told you it wasn't important, so why does it matter to you?" Draco asked and they fell into silence and the blonde sighed. "Look, I just went home for a while, that's all. Satisfied?" Draco asked, striding over to his chair and sitting down, looking at the papers at his desk.

"No, actually, I'm not. I was just there. I thought you were home when I heard noise coming from inside. But I knocked and no one answered and when I went inside, the house was empty." Harry explained, pacing in front of Draco's desk.

"You went into my house?" Draco asked confused.

"Yes, and look what I found." He said and he pulled out the picture and held it out for Draco to see.

"So what? It's just a picture of us." Draco said and Harry flipped over the picture and slammed it on the desk, the dark symbol facing up for both of them to see.

"That's the same drawing I saw on that person's wrist I chased earlier. Now, answer me this, Draco, how is that you know what it looks like when I was the only one who saw it earlier?" Harry asked seriously, staring straight at Draco. "Explain that to me, Malfoy." He said.

"I didn't draw that, Potter." Draco said not even looking at the drawing anymore.

"Then who did?"

"My father…"

-

Thanks for reading. Review and tell me what you think! Cookies to all who do! And hope you all had a happy holiday!


	4. The Intruders and the Note

**Author's Note:** YES! A new chapter is up! Finally, wouldn't you say? Sorry it took forever. I've been debating finishing it and whatnot, and after skimming through it again I thought what the hell? So, here's the next chapter andI promise that there will be more to come soon! Hope you all like it! Review and tell me what you think!

**TheIntruders and the Note**

Harry stared at Draco a moment longer before diverting his gaze and looking down at the symbol lying flat on the desk. He tried to recall if he'd ever seen it before, but nothing came back to memory.

"Do you know what it means?" He asked slowly and Draco leaned back in his chair, looking away from Harry, concentrating his gaze on some invisible mark on the wall.

"No, I don't. I only know my father drew it." He said, his voice straining with held back anger. Draco hated being questioned and his patience was slowly disintegrating with each passing second. Potter or not… he felt cornered when he was in a situation like this.

"Alright. So if he did draw it—."

"What do you mean 'if'?" Draco demanded and he glared at Harry who put up his hands in defense.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way," Harry apologized and Draco fumed silently for a moment before turning his glance away from the raven-haired man. "Okay. So your father drew it. What I want to know is why he drew it on the back of this picture? Plus, it's a picture of us. What does that mean?" Harry asked, his green eyes piercing in Draco's direction.

The blonde stood up suddenly—startling Harry—and stared at him in the face, his eyes a cold, gray storm.

"Look, Potter, I don't know, alright? So quit with the damn questions." He said and Harry stared at him, his head tilted to side thoughtfully, trying to find something in those gray eyes. However, nothing showed—at least, nothing but a bit of anger and something else. Sadness? Whatever it was, Harry was becoming more worried while he stood staring into Draco's eyes.

Draco bit his lip slightly, feeling his heartbeat quicken as he stared into emerald depths, unconsciously noticing how close he was standing to Harry—he almost didn't dare to breathe.

"What's wrong, Draco? Honestly. Don't give me that 'I'm okay' shit. I know it's not true—you know it's not true." Harry said, a mixture of concern and seriousness spreading through his features, his gaze never wavering away from Draco, who, in turn, was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Harry, I—."

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook and a tremor was sent vibrating through the building sending several stacks of their papers fluttering to the floor. Terror could be heard beyond the door of their office and a second quake ran through, more powerful than the first and newspapers attached to the walls went trembling to the floor in a small mess.

Draco let out a small cry and stumbled forward against Harry, his hands reaching out to grab something to balance himself, only to touch the soft flesh of Harry's wrist and his other hand resting on Harry's chest. The blonde composed himself and realized what—or rather, who—he was leaning against. Looking up, he came face to face with one Harry Potter, the warmth of his breath flowing across his own pale skin. He thought for a split second how beautiful his eyes were from this close, but he pulled away suddenly, a light flush appearing on his cheeks, just as a third tremor knocked him hard to the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry said aloud and he rushed to their door and thrust it open, Draco directly behind.

Chaos ensued on the other side of the door and Harry stared at the people running with their wands, searching for the source of the vibrations. There was an array of papers floating through the hair, the entire ground covered in parchment and bunches of moving photographs, magical artifacts and many other miscellaneous items. The raven-haired male stood in the doorway with his hand resting on the doorknob, thinking of anything at all that could be causing this.

Someone screamed and that yanked Harry from his thoughts. He looked around only to feel sheer horror seemingly hanging in the air. Pulling out his wand, Harry stepped out of his office and looked around frantically—Draco sticking close to his side.

"What's happening?" Draco said loudly and the ground began to shake beneath their feet.

"I dunno." Harry replied unsure. Everyone seemed to be doing something completely different—running in different directions, casting different spells and focusing on different things, so Harry couldn't figure out where it was coming from or who (or what) was causing this.

Turning he rushed towards the lift and pressed the button, darting inside when it opened, papers flooding in and out of the lift as the doors shut behind him and Draco.

"Something bad his happening…" Harry said aloud and Draco turned to him, the lift shaking as it began to go up to the lobby floor.

"No shit, Potter." Draco said and he held onto the side of the wall beginning to feel sick from the shaking.

"Draco, do you remember when I said that Voldemort wasn't dead?" Harry asked, and Draco turned towards him, nodding impatiently. "This is exactly why I said it. I don't know exactly what he's planning and I know it doesn't make sense, but I see it in my dreams sometimes. I see him. He's going to—." Harry was cut off when the lift jolted to a halt and he fell to his knees, his wand slipping from his fingers and the light in the lift flickering until darkness surrounded them.

"Harry?" Draco asked uncertainly, his voice quivering slightly.

He heard a slight shuffle and then Harry appeared before him, holding his wand with a bright light emitting from the tip.

"Why the hell did we stop?" Draco asked and Harry turned towards the lift doors and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Then again, I don't even know what's going on here." Harry said and he sighed and pushed at the top floor button a few times before giving up and looking up at the ceiling.

"Now what?" Draco asked.

"Know any spells?" Harry asked and he began walking around the small lift, thinking of something.

"Not really. I didn't think that one day I'd find myself stuck in a lift and—." Draco was cut off when Harry's hand flew to his mouth, pressing against Draco's lips lightly.

"Shh. Do you hear that?" Harry asked, looking at the four walls of the lift, and surely enough, Draco did hear something. Muffled voices floated through the walls of the lift and echoed around them. Not clear enough to hear what was being said, but loud enough to know that they were distinctly voices.

"We're stuck between the lobby floor and the second floor department," Harry whispered. "Since the voices are coming from above us, there must be people there. Judging the fact that it doesn't sound like they're in a panic, they are probably the source of all this." Harry said and he let his hand slip from Draco's lips.

"Meaning that we're going to have to go up there and find out." Draco finished and Harry grinned, nodding his head.

"Exactly."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Draco asked, sighing and shaking his head.

Harry indicated the hatch above them and explained that they could climb through and get out through the door to the first floor lobby.

"Alright, since you're smaller than me, I'll climb up first and then help you up." Harry said facing the blonde man who raised an eyebrow in response.

"What do you mean 'smaller than you'?" Draco questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Come on, Draco, you know you're shorter than me. And you are skinnier than me." Harry said and Draco snorted.

"Only because I don't waste my time working out, like certain people do," Draco said, staring pointedly at Harry. "And I have a natural perfect figure. Besides, I'm probably bigger than you in other aspects." He finished with a smirk.

"Shut up and help me up." Harry said and even though Draco did as he was told, he couldn't help but chuckle and announce his triumph over the Great Harry Potter.

Harry hoisted himself up onto Draco's cupped hands, and lifted Harry up onto his shoulders, while the green eyed man forced the covering open with his fist.

"Remind me why we were doing this manually? Isn't there a spell for this?" Draco whined, groaning under Harry's weight, hearing the latch give free and the screen flying open.

"Quit complaining. A little manual labor won't kill you. It might even be good for you. Besides, this way we won't get noticed by using magic." Harry said, and he pulled himself through the hole and onto the top of the lift, looking around in the darkness.

"Alright, help me up, Mr. I'm-bigger-than-you." Draco demanded and Harry chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head, getting onto his knees.

He paused when there was a sudden screech and the lift jolted and slid downward slightly, Draco crying out beneath him.

"Draco, grab my hand!" Harry urged, and he reached through the hole as far as he could, grabbing Draco's outstretched hand and heaving him upward with all his strength, seizing his body with his other hand and lifting him through the hole, scraping his arm slightly on the edge of the opening.

Draco seemed to clutch to Harry in fear as soon as he was on top of the lift, sitting in the dark, dampness of the shaft and Harry had to say his name a few times to catch his attention.

"Come on, Draco, we have to get quickly. The lift is shifting." Harry said and he stood up, pulling Draco with him. "Get onto my back and I'll lift us both to the opening." Harry said, and he noticed that Draco didn't protest when he climbed onto Harry's back, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck.

Pulling out his wand, Harry muttered a spell and the lift door to the lobby opened above them and a dim light poured into the dark shaft. Storing his wand in his pocket, he reached up and grabbed the lift, slowly pulling them both up until his head popped up into the light. He got his knee up onto the ledge and was able to get up onto his feet, letting Draco down off his back, looking up for the first time to see the lobby.

It looked as if a tornado had struck inside and left the remains of what used to be the first floor behind. The statues on the fountain were lying in rubble on he ground that was now a web of cracks and jutting debris. There was hardly any light in the area around them, but Harry could make out the outline of several figures huddled together and speaking to one another.

Quickly, Harry grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him to the side, dodging several pieces of wood and random items, until they were hiding behind the wall, listening in onto the crucial conversation being held.

"Where are they?" One voice demanded, snarling impatiently.

"Patience," another voice replied. "They are here. We will find them soon enough."

"I'm tired of waiting. Let's just kill them now!" The first voice said again, sounding rather impatient.

"The Dark Lord gave his orders. We will find them, but we will not kill them," a third voice said, and turned around. "Malfoy, your plans had better work."

Harry automatically pulled Draco tighter against his chest, holding onto him anxiously, clasping a hand over Draco's mouth when he gasped at the sound of his father's name.

"They don't know about it, yet, but the Dark Lord knows what they possess. He knows what they are capable of." Malfoy replied and Draco heard the shuffling of feet and took a half a step backward, feeling Harry's heart pounding against his back.

"We have to do something," Harry whispered into Draco's ear, and Draco shook his head frantically, his body beginning to shake slightly.

_Oh I get it, _Harry thought to himself. _His father is out there._

Gently shifting his body, he pushed Draco behind him and peered around the corner of the wall they were hiding behind, trying to count the number of figures grouped together on the darkness. He knew that they were outnumbering them by a few, but Harry wasn't going to give up that easily. He had to do something.

But what?

Pulling out his wand, he held it tightly in his fist trying to find a plan. Turning back around towards Draco, he told him the only idea that came to his mind.

"Draco, I have an idea," Harry whispered quickly, placing his fists on Draco's shoulders and staring directly into his eyes. "I'm going to cause a distraction. Use the other lift and go back down to our department. Go get some help. Tell the aurors what's happening."

"But, Harry, what if—?" Draco started and Harry shook his head and smiled.

"There is no time for 'what ifs'. You have to do this. I'm relying on you," Harry said and he couldn't help but reach up and brush away a piece of hair that was hanging down into Draco's eyes. "I trust you, Draco."

Harry turned back around and held his wand up readily, his heart pounding wildly and for a moment he thought his plan was insane, but he couldn't think of anything else and there wasn't any time to discuss it.

Draco's entire body was shaking behind the raven-haired man and he bit his lip slightly and waited for Harry to make the first move—hoping at this moment that his father wouldn't notice him.

"Ready?" Harry whispered, looking back at him and Draco nodded.

Running out, Harry held up his wand and yelled the first spell that came to his mind.

"Expecto Patronum!" The bright stag appeared before him and grabbed the attention of the people huddled in the corner. Harry heard some of them swear out loud and pulled out their wands, approaching Harry quickly almost as if they were gliding.

While they were distracted, he quickly dived for the lift, narrowly dodging some debris on the ground and pressed the button for the lift, glancing over in Draco's direction before returning his attention back to the task at hand.

The stag was running through the huddle of black robes and momentarily illuminated the masks covering their faces and Harry squinted for a moment, trying to identify anyone, looking for a mark or a scar that could place them, but the light went by too quick and he was plunged into his corner of darkness once more.

Harry heard the lift opening behind him and he saw Draco rushing over to it swiftly, diving into the open lift and began pressing the button rapidly, hoping that it would make it move faster, but all it did was grab the attention of one of the deatheaters, who whirled around and yelled a curse, just as the doors closed and Draco disappeared, leaving Harry alone.

Harry gathered all his strength and held his wand up in front of him, his faithful stag vanishing and leaving him helpless.

"Stupefy!" He yelled and his curse hit one of the hooded figures and knocked him back, buying Harry time to run to another side of the lobby, but he tripped over a piece of rubble and fell down hard, his wand flying from his hand and his glasses coming off and disappearing into the darkness.

He blindly got onto his hands and knees, feeling even more helpless from before and patted the ground, searching for his glasses or his wanted, squinting and looking around wildly.

He heard footsteps and looked up, seeing the blurred figures approaching him and he stood up and gasped when a hand closed around his neck.

Meanwhile, the lift stopped at their department, and Draco ran out, nearly running straight into Blaise, who stared at him in alarm, looking at the ghostly color of Draco's face.  
"Draco, where the hell have you been?" Blaise asked.

"Harry needs help. There are deatheaters in the lobby. They're the ones who caused this. My father—he's down there." Draco said, seeming utterly distraught as he spoke.

"Deatheaters!" Blaise said unbelievingly and Draco nodded, confirming his worst fear. "Shit."

Blaise turned around and ran down the panic-stricken corridor and found Lupin giving orders to several aurors, but he burst in on their conversation and told them what Draco had just told him and soon they were all rushing into the lift and ascending towards the lobby.

_He better be okay,_ Draco thought to himself, his heart thumping in his ears and pulsing in his wrist as he stood in lift, feeling anxious as well as the slow pressure of the lift ascending. _I hope you're okay._

Harry struggled as the hand around his neck pulled him to his feet and pressed him against the wall. He felt his breath hitch when the hand protruding from the hazy darkness grasped his throat tighter and he felt his windpipe close and a choking sound emitted from his mouth while he gasped desperately for air. His hands clutched at the hand just as his feet lifted from the ground and he felt himself beginning to get lightheaded and he vaguely noticed the symbol on the arm of the deatheater holding him and barely heard a voice speak to him.

"It's a pity that something so powerful is hiding within someone so pathetic," the deatheater said, laughing cruelly. "It's also a pity I can't kill you myself."

Harry felt his world swirl around him his hands began to feel heavy in their attempt to free himself. He was almost unconscious when he heard noises coming from the other side of the wrecked lobby—barely hearing the curses and spells being said. Not even hearing Draco calling his name.

Harry groaned and opened his eyes, feeling a comfortable pressure on his stomach as well as the hard surface he was lying on. Sitting up slightly, he was able to make out the outline of Draco resting against him silently.

"Draco?" Harry said softly and Draco's eyes fluttered open and he sat up quickly, suddenly embarrassed and grateful that Harry couldn't see the blush appearing on his cheeks. He debated on leaving right now and not talking to him or mention that he was sleeping next to him, but instead he handed Harry's glasses.

"Thanks," Harry whispered and their office came into focus, all their paperwork unorganized and littering every area of the floor and desks.

"How long was I out for?" Harry asked.

"About an hour." Draco replied softly.

Suddenly, Harry flew to his feet.

"What happened to the deatheaters? What happened in the lobby?" Harry asked and Draco stood up to face him.

"They're gone," Draco said, leaning against the desk. "But they left three dead wizards behind them."

Harry looked down and sighed heavily, feeling terrible for whoever's family would have to hear the terrible news about their lost loved one. He knew what it was like to loose someone or to hear that someone close to you would never come home or you would never hear their voice again.

Harry looked up and noticed that Draco was staring at him.  
"What?" Harry asked.

There was a long pause before Draco spoke.

"You scared me, Potter," he said softly, diverting his gaze from him. "I nearly thought I didn't make it back in time. For a moment, I thought you were dead."

Harry shrugged and grinned.

"You weren't the only one to think that. I thought I was going to die. It would have been a shitty way to die." Harry said and he couldn't help but laugh. However, it was cut short instantly when he felt Draco's body pressed up against his own, his arms wrapped around his middle.

He looked down at Draco in surprise, smelling the scent of his blonde hair as it tickled his nose.

"Please, don't worry me like that again," Draco whispered, his lips muffled by Harry's chest. "Don't ever ask me to leave you again. I thought I lost you."

Harry stood in shock at the words coming from Draco's mouth, but he couldn't help but wrap his arms around Draco's shoulders and hold his body tight against his chest.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered and Draco pulled away slowly, never looking into Harry's eyes, suddenly looking extremely exhausted. He circled around the desk, not caring that he was walking all over his paper work and sat down, putting his arms on the desk and burying his face in his arms.

Harry stood and stared at Draco's motionless body for a moment, his feet rooted to the spot before actually moving and kneeling down beside Draco's chair, resting his hand gently on his back.

"Hey… you alright?" Harry asked and Draco nodded his head, but didn't say anything, so Harry decided to leave it alone, but was distracted when Blaise popped his head into their office.

"Hey, Harry, can I talk to you for a sec?" He asked and Harry nodded, taking one last glance at Draco before following Blaise into the corridor, which was beginning to look semi-descent with several wizards using spells to get the job done quickly.

Blaise led him away from their office until they were near the lifts and he finally stopped and turned to face Harry.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked and he noticed the serious look on Blaise features and he was taken aback for a moment, wondering if it was possible for Blaise to be serious.

Blaise looked at the ground for a moment before he handed Harry two things—a piece of parchment and a moving photo. Harry took it and stared at Blaise for a moment, clearly confused, before looking down into his hands.  
"They were both found upstairs in the lobby, after everything was cleaned up," Blaise said slowly, watching as Harry held up the moving picture and stared at it intently.

The photo was of the lobby not too long ago when everything was still a disaster and wizards were moving in and out of the picture—conversing at the sides—but what caught Harry's attention quickly were the three bodies each with a different number carved into their chests and when lined up side by side, the blood clearly read:

**21.12.12**

Harry thought for a moment and the numbers seemed oddly familiar, and then it suddenly hit him. He had seen it on a parchment in a tree when he went to the area where Jack Gainsborough died. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again and opened the piece of parchment, his hands beginning to shake. Harry's face paled and the parchment fell out of his hands when he read the simple message:

**Let me kill Draco. He is, after all, my son.**

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REVIEW PLEASE! And tell me what you think! Very grateful to all who do. Thanks D 


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